Milton Harris (March 21, 1906 – September 12, 1991) was an American
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...
. Harris founded the Harris Research Laboratories, which later merged with
Gillette, and was Chairman of the Board of Directors for the
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...
from 1966 to 1972.
Career
Early life and education
Born in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, Harris was raised in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
. At the age of twelve or thirteen, his first independent business enterprise was building
crystal radio sets, and in high school,
chemistry became of interest. He entered college at
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering c ...
, where he became a member of
Phi Sigma Kappa
Phi Sigma Kappa (), colloquially known as Phi Sig or PSK, is a men's social and academic Fraternities and sororities, fraternity with approximately 74 List of Phi Sigma Kappa chapters#List of Chapters, active chapters and provisional chapters in ...
.
Harris graduated in 1926. Despite the fact that a formal chemistry department did not exist at Oregon, he earned a degree in
chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...
. In 1929, Harris received a
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in Chemistry from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
.
Early career
Upon his graduation from Yale, Harris took his first job as a
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...
at the Cheney Brothers Mill. Two years later, he joined a new
textile
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
chemistry research group at the
National Bureau of Standards
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sci ...
. Harris was later appointed director of the group, which would ultimately produce roughly two-hundred scientific papers. Along with
Vincent du Vigneaud
Vincent du Vigneaud (May 18, 1901 – December 11, 1978) was an American biochemist. He was recipient of the 1955 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his work on biochemically important sulphur compounds, especially for the first synthesis of a polypep ...
, Harris made important discoveries in regards to similarities between the
molecular geometry
Molecular geometry is the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms that constitute a molecule. It includes the general shape of the molecule as well as bond lengths, bond angles, torsional angles and any other geometrical parameters that dete ...
of human
hair,
insulin, and
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...
. With the beginning of
American involvement in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Harris’ group began advising the
United States Army Quartermaster Corps
The United States Army Quartermaster Corps, formerly the Quartermaster Department, is a sustainment, formerly combat service support (CSS), branch of the United States Army. It is also one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being ...
about textiles such as using
Bedford cord. They aided the research and redesign of
sandbag
A sandbag or dirtbag is a bag or sack made of hessian (burlap), polypropylene or other sturdy materials that is filled with sand or soil and used for such purposes as flood control, military fortification in trenches and bunkers, shielding gl ...
s, tent cloths, and chemical additives in military underwear used to protect soldiers from the effects of gas attacks.
Later stages
After the end of the war, Harris founded the Harris Research Laboratories, which operated as a consulting laboratory for several companies such as the
American Enka Company
The American Enka Company was an American company that was the nation's largest rayon fiber manufacturer. Founded in 1928, its research division developed such things as ''Tyrex'' (for the tire cord market), improved rayon and nylon, and by-produ ...
and
Gillette. His association with the latter grew over time. In 1955, Gillette bought the Harris Research Laboratories and appointed Harris as Vice President of Research. Just before retirement, in 1966, he was approached by the
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...
to serve on its Board of Directors. Harris accepted and served as Chairman for six years. In 1975, he headed a panel that produced a study, which was instrumental to the recommendation by the
National Academy of Sciences for widespread cultivation of
jojoba
Jojoba (; botanical name: ''Simmondsia chinensis'')also commonly called goat nut, deer nut, pignut, wild hazel, quinine nut, coffeeberry, and gray box bushis native to the Southwestern United States. ''Simmondsia chinensis'' is the sole specie ...
shrubs. A year later, Harris also joined the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
. He died of
stomach cancer in
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...
in 1991.
Legacy
Papers dating from between 1925 to 1991 from the career of Harris are currently held at
The Valley Library
The Valley Library is the primary library of Oregon State University and is located at the school's main campus in Corvallis in the U.S. state of Oregon. Established in 1887, the library was placed in its own building for the first time in 1918 ...
at his alma mater,
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering c ...
. The school has an endowed professorship in his honor called the Milton Harris Chair Professor of Materials Science, which since 2006, has been held by
Mas Subramanian
Mas Subramanian, (born 1954), is a solid-state materials scientist at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. He is a University Distinguished Professor and the Milton Harris Chair of Materials Science in the university's Department of ...
.
Oregon State also gives the Milton Harris Award for Excellence in Basic Research to science scholars, which was won by
Dawn Wright
Dawn Jeannine Wright (born April 15, 1961) is an American geographer and oceanographer. She is a leading authority in the application of geographic information system (GIS) technology to the field of ocean and coastal science, and played a key ro ...
in 2005. Harris' other alma mater, Yale, also has a Milton Harris ’29 Ph.D. Professor of Chemistry, once held by
Alanna Schepartz
Alanna Schepartz (born January 9, 1962) is an American professor and scientist. She is currently the T.Z. and Irmgard Chu Distinguished Chair in Chemistry at University of California, Berkeley. She was formerly the Sterling Professor of Chemistry ...
in the early 2000s.
See also
*
*
List of Oregon State University people
*
List of people from Los Angeles
*
List of people with surname Harris
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
List of Phi Sigma Kappa brothers
Following is a list of notable members of Phi Sigma Kappa men's collegiate fraternity, including those who were members of Phi Sigma Epsilon prior to the 1985 merger.
Government
Science and research
Business, industry, and finance
Religio ...
*
List of Yale University people
Yalies are persons affiliated with Yale University, commonly including alumni, current and former faculty members, students, and others. Here follows a list of notable Yalies.
Alumni
For a list of notable alumni of Yale Law School, see List ...
References
External links
Harris Papers at Oregon State UniversityWashington Post obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Milton
1906 births
1991 deaths
Scientists from Los Angeles
20th-century American chemists
Oregon State University alumni
Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
Members of the American Chemical Society
Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering
Deaths from cancer in Maryland
Presidents of the American Institute of Chemists